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sharp-clawed runner
Deinocheirus
Say it like this: “DY-no-KY-ruhs”
Deinocheirus mirificus
Deinocheirus ate plants and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Mongolia.
- When
- Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago
- Named in
- 1969 · Kielan-Jaworowska, Z.
- Hip height
- 3.3–4.4 m · 11–14 ft
- Length
- 11–12 m · 36–39 ft
- Weight
- 5–7 tonnes
- Found in
- Mongolia · Nemegt
- Food and walking
- Herbivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Deinocheiridae
The story in short
In 1969, Z. Kielan-Jaworowska published the name Deinocheirus. The name means “horrible hand.”
Fossils referred to Deinocheirus date to the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian), roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago. Finds come from Mongolia, including the Nemegt Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Deinocheirus at a length near 11–12 m, hips about 3.3–4.4 m high, and a body mass around 5–7 tonnes.
On the family tree it sits in Deinocheiridae, among the theropod dinosaurs.